Well Proven Chair: Made from Wood Waste + Bio–resin

After learning about the substantial wood waste created from the manufacturing of wooden furniture, London based designers Marjan Van Aubel and Jamie Shaw teamed up with the American Hardwood Export Council and Benchmark Furniture to research the development of a new material made from wood chips. The result: the Well Proven Chair.

The Well Proven Chair is the result of a long period of research into the development of a new material from wood chips. The investigation began with the discovery that creating usable products and furniture from wood generates between 50-80% waste in the form of sawdust, chippings and shavings. Early on we discovered an exciting reaction that occurs when these waste products are combined with bio-resin, where the porridge like mixture expands into a solid, foamed material. The reaction is exacerbated by; different types of wood, the addition of water, air trapped in shavings, and increased temperatures these different factors can give expansion of up to 600-700%.

Once the foaming material is made, Marjan and James apply it by hand to a mold based on the shaped of the ergonomic polypropylene shell chair. The foaming material then rises up in an unpredictable manner, creating a unique form that is both lightweight and strong.

The Well Proven Chair made its debut at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London September 2012. You can see more about the project in the video below, and learn more about the designers here and here.